Benefits of Physical Therapy

Physical Therapy

When you experience an injury or have to endure pain for an extended period of time, your entire life changes. Simple tasks and daily activities are no longer possible without pain and you begin to forget what life is like without the pain and dysfunction. This is when most doctors prescribe physical therapy. Through evaluation of strength, mobility and function, physical therapists are able to provide a holistic approach in assisting the healing process.

There are three primary goals of physical therapy; pain management, improved mobility and strengthening. Each one of these is an important step in the process of healing. While the body does possess the ability to heal itself, many injuries require intervention to accomplish complete healing. Often, once an injury has occurred, it is more likely to happen again, unless it has been properly rehabilitated.

The first phase is pain control. Most people seek help because of the pain they are experiencing. By administering a variety of modalities, therapists are able to change the natural pain response. Many times, relaxing the muscles and stimulating the nerves around the injury will lessen the pain. Some of the modalities that are commonly used are ice, heat, electric stimulation, therapeutic ultrasound, and massage.

The next phase is improved mobility. When an injury occurs mobility is greatly affected. Due to the injury or pain, when a joint is not moved, mobility is lost. With lost mobility comes increased pain. It is a vicious cycle that needs to be broken to begin the healing process. This phase incorporates various stretching activities including passive, stretches applied by the therapist, and active, stretches performed by the patient. Gradually increasing the stretching increases the joint’s mobility and allows healing of the damaged tissue.

The final phase is strengthening. This step is vital to preventing an injury from recurring. By strengthening the muscles surrounding the injured area, the joint becomes more stable and the risk of re-injury significantly decreases. When done properly, the strengthening phase often makes the injured site stronger and more functional than it was before being injured.

Although the body will heal by itself approximately 80 percent of the time, physical therapy ensures that the healing is complete and happens in a timely fashion. When an injury heals on its own, full mobility and strength is often not achieved. Physical therapy ensures the healing process progresses as it should, ensuring full recovery of mobility and strength. If you succumb to chronic pain or injury, be sure to seek the help of a licensed physical therapy and ensure total and complete healing.

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